It’s been nearly 40 years since a small group of fun-loving tinkerers in Marin started racing down dirt roads on old cruiser bikes modified with fat knobby tires. Though mountain biking began as a fringe sport in the 70s, it's since evolved into an athletic outlet embraced by communities everywhere.

From the flatlands to the highlands, these top mountain bike towns are drawing riders of all kinds with amazing trail systems, bike parks, and pump tracks galore. We've called out a few classic stand-bys here—Bend, Oregon and Asheville, North Carolina, for example (but not Moab)—but also found a few hidden gems that you've probably never even heard of. Click through to our slideshow to see some of our favorite places to get our tires dirty in the good ol' U.S. of A.